Governor John Kasich used his kick-off of the Ohio State Fair on Wednesday as another chance to bash President Trump's trade policies and the recent announcement of a $12 billion relief program for farmers.
Kasich, who has previously spoken out against the tariffs that Trump claims are in place for national security reasons, said to reporters at the fair that "farmers want trade, not aid."
He called Trump's farmer aid program "vote-buying," and said it will compound the economic damage done by the tariffs by putting the U.S. further into debt.
"You have to wonder, is this about vote-buying, is this about the fact that you don't want farmers turning against you in the midterm when they're suffering the consequences of trade?" Kasich said.
The American Farm Bureau released a statement after the aid package was announced, calling it a "welcome measure of temporary relief."
"This announcement is substantial, but we cannot overstate the dire consequences that farmers and ranchers are facing in relation to lost export markets," said American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall.
"Our emphasis continues to be on trade and restoring markets, and we will continue to push for a swift and sure end to the trade war and the tariffs impacting American agriculture," Duvall said.
Kasich also stressed farmers' need for access to markets, saying that what farmers want is "access to the world," rather than a government bail-out.
"Access to those markets are critical to a farmer," Kasich said. "They want to sell, they don't want to be subsidized, they don't want to be put on welfare. They want to be in a position where they can sell their products around the world."
Trump's farmer's aid package is just a way to make farmers feel better, Kasich said, and the economic effects of reduced trade will eventually be felt by other industries in Ohio
"Where does this end?" Kasich said. "The unilateral efforts here are not good for america and they're not good for farmers, who happen to be some of our best Americans."
Kasich also repeated some of his previous comments on whether he would run for president in 2020, saying he does not know what the future holds for him.
